42 Unique, Useful and Funny Gifts for Medical Students

One gift every medical student needs that you can’t give them is more hours in the day, which they need to cover the amount of studying the have to do and make up for all the sleep they’re going to miss for the next several years. Short of altering the laws of time, this list of gifts for medical students has plenty of great stuff that will help them make it through.

Written by medical students for medical students, this book has all the insider information they don’t tell medical students before they go off to school. It covers the entire process, from applying to schools, through the four years, and then on to residences and finding the best job possible.

Medical students can get down to the bare bones of the situation with this pen. There might be a lot of the modern curriculum that’s online and electronic, but medical students have to do their share of note-taking during class and while studying. These pens will remind them why they’re doing it all.

The next best thing to sleep: caffeine, and lots of it. Give this gift to a medical student and they’ll have an instant charge at home, every morning. They’ll need it, because med school deserves thick, strong brew. Gas station coffee just won’t cut it when studying for those boards.

Medical students need to learn, among other things, how to power nap anywhere, any time. The Ostrich Pillow makes on-demand sleeping more possible than ever. Slip it over the head and the aspiring physician is guaranteed a safe nap—and they’ll wake up without needing to see a chiropractor.

A piece of handmade, antique-inspired jewelry will help medical students get through those tough classes and even tougher all-night studying sessions. A reminder of the big picture: their goal is to join the long history of proud doctors who’ve walked the path before, hanging right there around their neck.

The gold-standard in anatomy books for generations. This is the book that children of doctors grow up seeing on the shelves in the family den. When they get a real, hardcover copy in their hands, medical students think “Wow. I’m really here. And this book is heavier than I thought!”

They’ll need a selection of choice beans to go along with their espresso machine, and of course, a clever mug to remind them where they are and what it’s all about. If you’re wondering why this kit includes decaffeinated coffee, the answer is simple: it’s for health reasons.

Study hard and play hard. That’s the attitude most medical students have. When they playing hard intersects with early classes, exams, or rotations, the hungover cookbook comes into play. It teaches students how to properly diagnose and treat all hangover classifications.

Medical students spend hours and hours working with cadavers, slicing them up every which way—so they’re going to need their own dissection kit. You can save them a little extra money by giving this gift, which means they’ll be able to buy more pizza and coffee.

They’re going to study the muscular system until they know every last origin and insertion in the body. This big wall poster will help medical students cram for that exam without having to squint at the small print or stare into a laptop screen until their eyes go fuzzy.

This book was written by and for third-year medical students. It offer candid stories about the transition from classroom work to putting knowledge into action with real people in real situations. It’s a bridge every medical student has to cross, and this book will help anyone approaching it.

Twenty-six from Dad, twenty-six from mom, all arranged and a carbon-based double helix discovered by Watson and Crick back in the 50s. The DNA pendant is a reminder to medical students that everything in the body is governed by our genes, and that with the help of science, we can find the root cause of most of what ails us.

The life of a medical student is summed up succinctly on the face of this clock, because it has no numbers. The actual time of day ceases to matter. Med school time is redefined as a never-ending cycle of sleeping, eating, studying, and attending lectures.

Real doctoring comes from the heart. From the compulsion and drive to do something good for the world and to help other people. That’s what makes the challenge of medical school worthwhile for most students. This laptop heart decal reminds students that when the going gets tough—remember your heart.

At first we thought a pack of sixty highlighters might be excessive, but then we remember some facts: there’s a whole lot of highlighting to be done in med school, pens always have a habit of losing themselves, and one study partner is always going to show up empty-handed. Better buy two sets.

If they don’t have a really good laptop going in to medical school, they’ll need one. This might be one of the most essential gifts you can give a medical student, because they’re going to be broke the whole way through. There’s no doubt that a MacBook will make life easier.

Students come in all shapes and sizes and different minds learn in different ways. Some learn by reading, some by watching, some by doing things, and some learn by touch and feel. This thirty-two piece model of the human torso is for the medical student who learns best by feel.

It’s like playing doctor as a kid, but for real. Medical students start using stethoscopes before they become doctors—buy this gift for the med student in your life who likes to be prepared ahead of time and wants nothing but the best equipment.

Before they get their white lab coat with the fancy name tag and look all official, medical students spend time learning in the trenches. Which means they’re going to spend lots of long hours in their scrubs, and they’ll need several pairs. Make life interesting and get them several different colors.

Medical students rarely have time for full, sit-down meals. And when they do, often it’s pizza in the lounge or a fast sandwich before class. With a juicer they can make healthy smoothies and fresh veggie juices so they can have all their vitamins and minerals on the go.

A couple hundred years ago, around the time doctors and scientists started to link up and form what we know now as modern medical science, a field called phrenology held that your character traits could be attributed to the shape of parts of your brain. This pillow is an homage to that long-lost study.

The busy student can stay connected to the world without having to take out the old smartphone every five seconds. This watch has a classic analog face but can sync with Android and iOS phones. Students can check texts, emails, social media and more with a mere flick of the wrist.

At first glance, this Bluetooth enable speaker looks like a small wooden keepsake box. A closer look reveals it to be a slick, compact speaker that can link up to phones, laptops, and tablets. Med students can pump up the jams while cramming for those important exams.

Anyone who’s ever had an extra monitor finds it hard to go back to just one. A big 24-incher will make the studying easier and more efficient. The serious medical student can keep notes on the laptop screen and pictures on the monitor and never have to switch windows.

Med students can get super-competitive. This version of the famous game lets them channel their competitiveness in a fun and social way while testing their medical knowledge. Questions cover areas like trauma, anatomy, physiology, cardiology, special patients, and more.

This clever bag is handmade from a large hardback edition of the seminal classic on anatomy and physiology. It’s lined with black cotton and can be made with four different handle types: large wood, small wood, long leather, and cross-body messenger style.

For studying on the go or practical applications around the clinic and the hospital, owning a reliable tablet is clutch for a medical student. The iPad air has a ten-hour battery, weighs less than a pound and has computing power, speed, and graphics for days.

Sometimes you gotta change it up and have your study sessions in a local coffee shop or even out in eh park. Trouble is, you still need to be connected to the internets, in case you need to check emails, social media, or log in to s study website. The Mobile HotSpot makes it all possible for your whole study crew.

Some students go so far into their studies they find comfort in the world of infectious diseases. They like nothing more than cuddling up to the study of microbes and pathogens. With this plush little doll, the serious student can literally find comfort in a microbe.

Keep the eyes up here, pal! This is the perfect gift for the medical student who’s destined to be an ophthalmologist and doesn’t mind taking the work home or wearing the work all the time. This tie is handmade to order, and the chart is silkscreened in white letters on a black tie.

For the practical joker, the child at heart, the medical student who just can’t take too seriously, this lunch box is just what the doctor ordered (we waited thirty whole gifts for that). This gift is for that person who loves to gross everyone out. And who knows—it might just be needed in the pinch one day.

Funky, nerdy, trendy, brainiac, and cool—this dress is all that. If the study of the brain is always on the brain, then maybe the hip neuro chick will want to get the brain on the body. The print is made from a 19th century neuroanatomy sketch by famous scientific artist Tartuferi.

I have to drink—doctor’s orders. That’s what your medical student can say when you get them this gift. They won’t get kicked out of school for taking a little nip because they have prescription. It’s the excuse everyone has always wanted, but has never dared try.

The world is under threat from the outbreak of four deadly disease in different parts of the globe. Who’s got the knowledge to counter them? Who’s got the skill to engineer a vaccine before it’s too late? Who’s got the luck to save the world from the brink of disaster? Teams of medical students will have to play to find out.

This book put the fun back in medical school. The anatomy coloring book has been famous for decades for bringing anatomy to the people by combining the fun of grade school coloring to the somewhat boring, rote task of memorizing the names of muscles, nerves, bones, and physiological systems.

Give this set of laboratory shot glasses to your favorite medical student and they’ll be mixing it up like a mad scientist in no time. This set comes with three different lab style shot glasses with graduate markings and includes three glass mixing sticks.

Get this unique journal for the thoughtful med student who plans to write a book about the experience. It’s made of heavy cardstock and is bound with a traditional Japanese technique called stab binding. The journal comes with fifty total pages and you can choose plain, ruled, or grid paper.

When the pot is too hot to handle, the X-Ray oven mitt comes to the rescue. This funny mitt takes the bring, everyday oven mitt and brings a smile to the face. We’re picturing an apartment full of med students baking muffins in all of the spare time they have.

There’s one of these—or there should be—in every anatomy and physiology lecture hall around the world, and there should be one in every med student’s living digs. Be the coolest person in their life and get this gift for a medical student. Even though we know they’ll put a cigar in it’s mouth.

Med school zombie attack! Seriously, most med students feel like the walking dead after their first two years. These pajamas come and men’s and women’s versions, and they’re nice and comfy. Perfect for long study sessions at home, curled up with a cup of tea.

The Booq Daypack is the coolest backpack on the market. It’s got all the features of a regular bookbag like a big cargo area and pockets for all the extras. What makes the Booq special is it’s dedicated, full protected laptop sleeve, and the fact that it look like a designer back that costs three times as much.

A year of beer. Not much could be better. Except a year of micro-brewed beer, hand-picked from America’s best new breweries and delivered once a month. Well, maybe one thing could be better: a four year subscription to last for the entire duration of medical school.

Most med student live with roommates and spend so much time away from home they feel like they have no private life whatsoever. You can give them the illusion of a life, and a modicum of personal space with a book safe. What they’ll keep hidden in there, no one knows—but that’s the point!

Occasionally, medical students get an afternoon off. And once in a while, it happens on a nice, sunny day. What better way for a group of overworked, aspiring doctors to while away the time than with a couple of cold brews and a game of cornhole? Follow this tutorial and give the gift of wholesome fun.

Gadgets, devices, phones and laptops. All of them have cords and all of them have chargers. This DIY shows you how to make a handy roll so the busy medical student can keep all their cords in order and in one place. It’s super easy and takes about an hour.

It’s going to happen at least once before the end of their medical school experience. The night will get away from them, one thing will lead to another, and then boom. Two hours of sleep, a splitting headache, and a tough class first thing in the morning. Make them this kit and they’ll be ready for that day.

They’re not going to have any time to do laundry, but they’ll need a laundry bag nonetheless. For that once a month Sunday at the laundromat, which is mostly taken up with studying between changing out the loads of clothes. All you’ll need is a little bit of sewing skill, minimal supplies, and two pillowcases.

Physician, heal thyself! Medical students spend four years of their lives learning everything they can about helping others, but think about it: how many medical students do you think have a first aid kid at home? Rectify the situation and make them this kit, so they can take care of themselves when the beer pong goes wrong.

This neat DIY includes detailed instructions for making an awesome little office organizer. Medical students are basically walking offices, with all the stuff they have to carry around and all the personal administrative tasks they have to complete. This gift will keep them organized at home. And the outside is totally cute.